It won’t be long before Bluejack National, the first Tiger Woods-designed golf course in the United States, opens for business. In the meantime, the course development is well underway and Woods has been keeping up with the progress.

Woods posted a video previewing the Bluejack’s par-72 golf course and “The Playgrounds,” a short course offering a special golf experience that is idea for casual fun or for high quality short-game practice.

Woods has kept close tabs on the course and talked about its development during a visit in December.

Below is Woods’ preview video of the course and a rendering of what the course will look like when it is completed later this year.

]]>https://blog.chron.com/sportsupdate/2015/03/tiger-woods-previews-bluejack-national/feed/0Video: Will Tiger Woods dominate Augusta?https://blog.chron.com/sportsupdate/2013/04/video-will-tiger-woods-dominate-augusta/
https://blog.chron.com/sportsupdate/2013/04/video-will-tiger-woods-dominate-augusta/#respondThu, 11 Apr 2013 01:54:19 +0000http://blog.chron.com/sportsupdate/?p=5896
]]>https://blog.chron.com/sportsupdate/2013/04/video-will-tiger-woods-dominate-augusta/feed/0Race, ethnicity shouldn’t be issues with RGIII, Jeremy Linhttps://blog.chron.com/sportsupdate/2012/12/race-ethnicity-shouldnt-be-issues-with-rgiii-jeremy-lin/
https://blog.chron.com/sportsupdate/2012/12/race-ethnicity-shouldnt-be-issues-with-rgiii-jeremy-lin/#commentsSat, 15 Dec 2012 00:59:52 +0000http://blog.chron.com/randyharvey/?p=429I was covering the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia, when Anthony Ervin became the first swimmer of African-American heritage to win a gold medal. Ervin, whose mother is Jewish and father is 75% African American and 25% Native American, said he didn’t think of his performance in terms of race, that he thought more of what it mean for himself and his family.

That answer was unsatisfactory to some among my media colleagues, who criticized him for not acknowledging how significant the accomplishment was for African Americans.

My son is bi-racial. He was 3. I wrote that I hoped he would never face such scrutiny because of his race, that our society by the time he was Ervin’s age, which was 19 at the time, would accept him and everyone else as individuals.

My son will be 19 in four more years. The clock is ticking. I was too optimistic.

I was reminded of that Thursday, when ESPN’s Rob Parker said Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III is “kind of black.”

Parker, who is African American, also said Griffin is “not one of us.”

Griffin apparently offended Parker with his response to a question from ESPN about how he identifies with his race.

“I am aware of how race is relevant to some fans,” Griffin had said. ” I don’t ignore it. I try not to be defined by it, but I understand different perspectives and how people view different things.”

Reasonable.

But not to Parker, who also mentioned that Griffin has a white fiance and may or may not be Republican.

I know whites who voted Democratic. Are they not white enough?

Texans running back Arian Foster sent out a tweet Friday that read, “I’m going to work on my blackness today.”

He later tweeted, “My mom is Mexican, so I can only optimize 50% of my blackness.”

Later, after practice, he elaborated.

“…there are people that always judge young black kids because they’re from the ghetto and they’re saying they’re not classy…
But then you’ve got a young classy kid that’s handled himself the right way, whatever that is, too, justs keeping his nose clean, doing the right thing,” Foster said. “Then somebody says h’es not black enough. It’s just, it’s weak, man.”

Parker’s initial reaction was to call his critics “silly” and “uneducated.”

I haven’t seen any response from him since ESPN announced it had suspended him indefinitely.

This is not the first time a Washington Redskins quarterback has been at the center of such attention. Doug Williams became in 1988 the first African American quarterback to start a Super Bowl game. It’s a popular myth that he was asked at a mid-week press conference how long he had been a black quarterback. The question actually was more complex, but that’s how he heard it. He answered it graciously.

Since then, athletes such as Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods have been criticized for not embracing more publicly their African American heritage. There was a very silly and uneducated internet debate during the most recent Summer Olympics about African-American gymnast Gabby Douglas’ hair.

This latest controversy coincided with the publication of a Sports Illustrated article headlined, “The Politicization of Jeremy Lin.”

The reporter wrote about a recent press conference in Taipei, in which Lin was asked, “There’s now a huge debate about your nationality,and who you belong to–whether you belong to Americans or Taiwanese or Chinese. What’s your view?”

Lin responded that he was born and raised in the United States, his parents were born and raised in Taiwan and that he he grandparents and great-grandparents who were born and raised in China.

In other words, those are the facts. Why should he have to choose who he is other than Jeremy Lin?

NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith’s reaction Friday to Parker’s comments were pretty much the same as mine in 2000.

He said he hoped NFL players or his own children would “never beg for authenticity…”

RGIII is the authentic RGIII. What else does he have to be?

Jimmy Cannon, the late New York sports columnist, once wrote “Yes, Joe Louis is a credit to his race, the human race.”

“Winning No. 73 at Jack’s place is extra special. Honored to be associated with the greatest of all time.”

He was right. Nicklaus is the greatest of all time. … For now.

If you doubt Woods’ ability to win 18 majors, you were just looking for reasons to doubt.

If you have doubted whether he would have the focus to win 18 majors, same thing, you were just looking for a reason to doubt.

'Winning No. 73 at Jack's place is extra special,' Tiger Woods said Sunday. Click on the image for more photos from the Memorial. (Tony Dejak/AP)

From the moment he stepped onto the first tee at his first major tournament, 18 was the number he was chasing. His goal.

That runaway win at Augusta National didn’t change that and nothing he has done in the past few years has changed that. This weekend’s win at Memorial didn’t change it either.

It has always been a matter of when, not if. It’s funny to me that we even have to have the discussion. Let’s just watch and enjoy.

I understand rooting against him. You can like or dislike an athlete for any number if reasons. But questioning Tiger’s greatness is simply foolish.

People who doubt Woods, do so out of a desire to see him fail, not out of intelligence.

They get mad when he does a fist pump after a sensational shot like that incredible flop on the 16th. As if he were the first person to do a fist pump on a golf course.

They point angry fingers when he says a cuss word. As if he is the first golfer to shout an occasional expletive after a poor shot. They threw stones when he got a divorce because of infidelity. As if he were the first golfer to cheat on his wife.

But worse than all that, when it comes to the sport, they throw out the “next Tiger” tag as if what he has accomplished can be just handed down like a favorite putter. None of the youngsters thrown up as his successor to greatness will get anywhere near what he has done.

That’s not a knock on them. They are phenomenal players. But there is a difference between being really good and being Tiger Woods.

As Gary Player said when he was in Houston recently, Tiger is “the most talented man that ever held a club in his hand.”

Remember that as Rory McIlroy, who if you use trick math is ahead of Tiger’s major pace, misses cuts left and right (three in a row at last count; Tiger has never even missed two in a row and only five his entire career) and says he hasn’t practiced as much as he should lately, but gets no criticism for it.

Keep that in mind as Rickie Fowler gets a win every now and then (well, he has one), dresses like a clown, and yet is proclaimed the next great one and so great for the game. Please.

Think about how the already vanquished Tiger challengers like Phil Mickelson, who shot a 79 in the first round on Thursday and withdrew from the tournament because of “mental exhaustion,” are treated. Had Woods done that, his withdrawal would have been a bigger story than whoever had gone on to win the tournament.

That is Tiger’s world. Everything is bigger. Grander. That’s what greatness gets you.

Tiger has won 14 majors. The entire field playing the weekend at the Memorial had a total of 14 major wins between them.

As for the 18 majors? Remember, Nicklaus won the Masters at 46. Player won it at 42. Trevino won the PGA at 44.

Tiger is 36.

“He’s got time on his hands,” Player said.

Woods reached 73 wins 10 years before Nicklaus got to that mark. Sam Snead holds the record, for now, with 82 career victories.

Before you ask is the Tiger of old back, keep in mind that no one anytime soon is ever going to be what Tiger was in 2001. That was possibly the greatest season in golf history.

So, no, he isn’t back to that. Never will be.

But 2009? 2008? Oh, he most certainly can and will get back to that.

I don’t even think he will win the U.S. Open at Olympic in two weeks. The course just doesn’t setup well for his game.

Then again, Tiger has done many things on the golf course that people didn’t think he could do.

Say what you want about Woods, but the buzz at the Shell Houston Open would be unprecedented should he decide to play here in 2013.

Since the SHO has been moved from one week before the Masters, where it has been for several years, to two weeks prior for next season, the door is now open for Woods to make his first appearance at the SHO. Next year, the Valero Texas Open in San Antonio will be the lead-in to Augusta.

Could there be a Tiger sighting in Houston for the first time? It's a possibility. (Chris O'Meara/AP)

“Been following the slight change in Tour dates, but we have yet to assess how that will affect Tiger’s early ’13 schedule,” Woods’ agent Mark Steinberg told me via e-mail. “There are a number of factors that play into Tiger’s schedule, so it would be very premature to speculate.”

Playing in the SHO is certainly possible, as Woods prefers to play in tournaments two weeks prior to majors. Only three times in his 16 Masters’ appearances as a professional did Woods not play in a tournament two weeks prior to going to Augusta National.

In 2002 he won the first major of the year after taking the prior two weekends off. In 2008, he finished second at Augusta with a similar break, though he played in the two-day Tavistock Cup the Monday and Tuesday after his previous tournament. And in 2010, The Masters was his first tournament of the year, as injuries and personal issues kept him out of play for six months.

Because of the move from the week before the Masters, where it had gained some serious traction, the SHO will face unusual challenges next year, especially since it will be on Easter Weekend.

I don’t think it will hurt the field as much as some others tend to believe. Players like the Houston stop and there simply isn’t a better prep for those nasty Masters greens than Redstone.

Don’t be surprised if more top players still want to come here to play on Augusta National-like greens, but choose to skip the Texas Open the following week to practice for the Masters. Also, the SHO will be the final opportunity for those still trying to earn enough ranking points to qualify for Augusta.

Rory McIlroy, who likes the time off going into Augusta, could very well rethink that next year and come to Houston, along with many other European stars.

The question is whether as many fans will come out.

Clearly, Tiger would be a big draw.

Easter Sunday with Tiger in the hunt at the Shell Houston Open? That could be fun.

  

Speaking of sports on Easter, I saw where some believed that the holiday was the reason for the Astros’ poor attendance last Sunday.

They drew a record-low of only 14,195, which was significantly lower than the previous worst crowd at Minute Maid. Houston drew 18,594 against the Reds on April 8, 2003.

But Easter didn’t hurt attendance in 2007, when the Astros had 36,273 on hand for the Cardinals, or in 2000 when 38,695 against the Padres. Even in the last year at the Astrodome, the Astros had a huge crowd on Easter Sunday, with 29,063 there on April 4, for a game against the Milwaukee Brewers.

This could be a tough season attendance-wise. That is understandable, considering they are coming off the franchise’s worst record ever and prospects for rapid improvement are not high.

Jim Crane and Co. have a lot of work to do to bring people back to baseball.

I have no idea if Tiger Woods will play golf against this year. My guess is he will.

I would be somewhat surprised if he doesn’t return for the PGA, the last major of the year. But that’s just a guess.

Woods has played only nine holes since injuring his knee and Achilles at The Masters in April. I saw the shot, saw him come up limping after hitting it and figured he would walk it off and be fine.

That didn’t turn out to be the case, but the injury isn’t so serious that he has had to have another surgery.

That tells me, considering as much time as he has taken off, he should be ready to go soon.

Playing in the British Open next week, when he hasn’t been able to practice and might only be 80-90 percent, would make little sense.

I remember talking to Hank Haney after Woods hobbled around Torrey Pines at the 2008 U.S. Open and all Haney would say was Woods absolutely ignored doctor’s orders to play (and win) that tournament. We all marveled at his competitive drive (and stupidity).

This time it appears Woods is actually listening to his doctors. That’s a good thing.

Another good thing is this is golf. The guy isn’t an NFL running back.

People are making knee injuries out to be more significant than they probably are. I’m not trying to diminish their importance to his ability to be the world’s best golfer, but let’s not overdo it either.

It might make for a great narrative when he returns and wins majors, but returning to golf after a sore knee (which is all he has admitted to at the moment) isn’t like returning to the grind of an NBA or NFL season.

Everybody is different. I tore my Achilles and didn’t hit a good golf shot for two years, and now wear golf shoes that look like nurses’ orthopedic shoes.

My boy Rich Blakely tore his Achilles, had a cast put on it, threw the leg (cast and all) in a walking boot and proceeded to play better golf for the next few months than he had before the injury. It ranks among the most amazing athletic achievements I have ever seen.

Woods doesn’t have to do a Blakely.

If Ben Hogan’s spectacular play after his accident tells us anything, it is that as long as he can get around the course, a great golfer is a great golfer.

As soon as Woods can get around a course (and unless they start putting linebackers on the course to tackle players), he’ll be a great golfer again.

  

The Astros have the worst record in team history through 87 games. (eom)

]]>https://blog.chron.com/sportsupdate/2011/07/tiger-woods-is-injured-not-dead/feed/13Are Rory days upon us?https://blog.chron.com/sportsupdate/2011/06/are-rory-days-upon-us/
https://blog.chron.com/sportsupdate/2011/06/are-rory-days-upon-us/#commentsMon, 20 Jun 2011 13:40:32 +0000http://blog.chron.com/jeromesolomon/?p=1175I watched every stroke Rory McIlroy took at Congressional (gotta love DirecTV) and it was as enjoyable to watch as any display of golf I have seen.

Yes, it would have been great had someone push him, but such an astounding singular brilliance stands on its own.

I don’t need to compare McIlroy’s dominance this weekend at the U.S. Open to Tiger Woods’ romps at Augusta in 1997, or in the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach and British Open at St. Andrews in 2000.

Great is great. That’s good enough for me.

I was actually more surprised that McIlroy collapsed at Augusta in April than his running past the field this weekend. When he is a dialed in, he is scary. For me, his type confidence is easy to root for.

McIlroy dominated, of course, but the course was there to be had. Twenty players came in under par on a very gettable course at Congressional, the second-most ever at a U.S. Open.

When Woods pummeled the field at Pebble Beach, he was the only player under par. The next best score was 3-over. This win by McIlroy is closer to what Woods did at the British in 2000, when he set the major record at 19-under, in winning by eight strokes.

There was nothing the USGA could do to toughen up the course. Consider, in the fourth round there were 32 under-par rounds, another Open record. The next most ever was only 18 at Baltursol in 1993.

Comparatively, I guarantee you it is going to be ugly next year at Olympic, where the smallish greens will be as slick as marble on a course that the USGA will do all it can to make sure is dry and fast. Rain-free Junes in San Francisco should make that easy to do.

McIlroy is the second-youngest player to win a major (behind Woods) in the last 80 years.

McIlroy, who was never even tied for the lead after any round, posted the tournament’s seventh start-to-finish win (Woods has done that twice).

Of all the numbers, McIlroy’s most impressive statistic might have been his 11-under total on par 4s. That is unheard of at an Open and won’t be broken anytime soon.

The previous record was only 4-under, and held by five players, including Jack Nicklaus and Woods.

Where McIlroy goes from here, nobody knows, but the kid has the sweetest swing in golf and an attitude that I love.

Let’s let him play and see what happens.

These days every time somebody comes onto the scene there is a rush to put them in line with the all-time greats. Almost always, they fall short.

That’s what makes the all-time greats the all-time greats. They weren’t given any lofty status until they earned it with their spectacular play.

McIlroy has taken another step toward what could be a great career. But let’s let him take a few more steps before we put him on such a pedestal.

It’ll be more fun watching him become great that way.

Some have already started the ridiculous pedestal-positioning that so irritates me.

John Feinstein said McIlroy is a better person than he is a golfer. Please stop.

The young man is 22. We don’t know what type of person he is yet.

I know he likes fast car, beautiful women and drinks a lot of beer. Just like 95-percent of 22-year-old men world wide.

Let’s not try to make him into a saint just yet.

The guy has a great golf swing. That is all that is important right now.

With Woods withdrawing on Tuesday, Whitehead will take his spot at the June 16-19 U.S. Open at Congressional Country Club in suburban Washington.

“I’m speechless,” Whitehead said by phone Tuesday afternoon. “I guess this means a couple more people with know my name.”

Whitehead, a 23-year-old who just completed his senior season at Rice, finished as first alternate at sectional qualifying Monday at Dallas Athletic Club’s Blue Course. Whitehead shot a rounds of 68-68—136.

Whitehead turned pro after failing to advance in last month’s NCAA regional play.